NEA Names Charlie Haden As Jazz Master

Charlie Haden has been named as a recipient of the Lifetime Honors award from the National Endowments for the Arts, a recognition they describe as the “nation’s highest honor in the fold and traditional arts.”

Haden started playing bass on his family’s folk and country radio show and eventually became a jazz legend, performing with Keith Jarrett, Ornette Coleman and Dizzy Gillespie. He’s also a noted composer, with several albums to his credit with his group, Quartet West.